Touch of Death
by DragonBreath
Summary: The second installment of the X-Tremes has finally arrived! Enter Bad Guys...hide your children! They bite!
1. Fun in the Sun

Déjà vu from the first story…the X-Men belong to Marvel Comics…not yours truly.   
  
A/N: I've been O SO lazy and haven't been working on these stories much…lots and lots of thanks go to Joe, Laura, and Bryan.   
  


* * *

  
The X- Tremes are a special band of mutants who have been brought together to learn, train, and grow into the next generation of superheroes. Professor Xavier hopes that he has learned from past mistakes, and the X-Tremes will thrive in a world that may one day accept them.  
  
A month has passed since the mutant child, Darius, came to live at the Xavier mansion in Westchester, NY. Unrest between Xavier and Ziska grew exponentially and threatens everything that the X-Tremes and the original X-Men were built on.   
  
For now, the X-Tremes; Ziska, A.J., Dinah, Liz, Jack, Pip, Rebecca, and Darius are enjoying a break from the world, and their lives as superheroes. At the end of the Xavier estate lays Breakstone Lake, where the teens cool off on a hot, summer day.   
  
"CANNON BAAAAALL! YAAAAH HOOOOO! "   
  
A scream and a splash, followed by a barrage of dynamite sticks and purple, explosive orbs.   
  
"Awh, dang it, Jack. Now why'd you have to go and do somethin' like that?"   
  
Rebecca's usually calm drawl now plainly expressed her irritation. She wiped the water out of her eyes and smoothed her hair back. Jack peeked his head out of the water. He didn't see what the big deal was in running down the lakeshore, swinging on a rope and flying into the water where his friends happened to be quietly enjoying the peace.   
  
"C'mon 'Becca…loosen' up a little, girl," Jack smiled. Rebecca tried to glare at him, but his smile was just too sweet and innocent.   
  
"You keep it up, and ah'll send you back to the swamp with the 'gators," Rebecca grinned.   
  
Dinah rolled her eyes while her best friend mock-argued with Jack. She had to smile at the fact that Rebecca and Jack were getting close.   
  
_I was so worried for her that she would have trouble making friends…the prison was so terrible…no. Don't think about that now. Enjoy yourself, Dinah. You never know when you'll have another chance._   
  
Dinah swam back to shore while crazed giggles and splashes carried on behind her. On shore, Liz and Pip sat on the grass watching Darius as he waded through the water. Dinah walked up the shore, and stopped as Darius tilted his head towards her.   
  
"Hello, Darius. What are you up to?"   
  
"Hi, Dinah. I'm trying to go fishing."   
  
Dinah smiled. "Fishing? I thought you needed a fishing rod for that."   
  
"Nope! Lizzy was telling me all about how she knows people who can catch fish in a river with their hands!" Darius held up his hands to emphasize the point.   
  
"Wow…that sounds really cool. If you get the hang of it, can you show me?"   
  
"I don't know…I'd have to ask Lizzy…" He gestured for Dinah to come closer, and he whispered in her ear. "It's an old Indian trick…very secret."   
  
"Oh," Dinah whispered back. "Ok, we'll make sure it's ok first."   
  
Dinah smiled and tussled Darius' hair while he continued to slowly wade through the water. Dinah turned towards Liz and Pip, and sat on the grass beside them.   
  
"Old Indian trick, huh?" Dinah smiled. Liz glanced at her then laughed.   
  
"You wouldn't believe how curious he is. He keeps asking me to tell him old stories from my tribe. I don't mind though…he's such a great kid."   
  
"He's really grown close to you. It's good that you took him under your wing."   
  
Liz nodded and smiled. Pip laughed and motioned towards Darius over his shoulder.   
  
"Ye should 'ave seen him last night. The boy wouldnae go to sleep till Liz came in and told him a story about buffalo."   
  
"Bison," Liz corrected.   
  
"What?" Pip looked at her with a confused expression.  
  
"They're called bison. Buffalo live in Africa."   
  
"Oh…"   
  
Liz couldn't help but laugh. Dinah smiled and shook her head. As she did so, she noticed Ziska and A.J. standing alone near the woods.   
  
"Huh…that's weird." Dinah gazed towards the woods.   
  
"What?" Liz asked, then followed Dinah's gaze towards the woods. "Oh…being distant again."   
  
"They've been like that for a month…especially Ziska. I don't get it."   
  
"What's to get?" Liz turned away and stared at the lake. "They went gallivanting off, got yelled at, and now they're pouting."   
  
The conversation about Ziska and A.J. ended there. Dinah didn't feel the need to press the issue any further. She knew how Liz felt about them, and she couldn't blame her for it either. She remembered back to the first time the team had gotten together. They were in the Rec room, socializing, getting to know one another.   
  
"So…you morph into a dragon, huh?" Ziska's voice was cold, and had a mocking tone.   
  
Liz never looked up. "That's right."   
  
Ziska tilted her head. "So why don't you do it now." She smirked.   
  
"No."   
  
"And why not? A powerful creature like you is too afraid to show her true self?"   
  
"I don't want to." Still, Liz had never looked up.   
  
"Why don't you look me in the face and tell me that, Lizard-Breath."   
  
"I don't have to."   
  
"My father is the Professor. I'm going to be field leader, which means you're going to have to follow orders. Look me in the face."   
  
"You don't deserve it."   
  
"Oh…and a savage like you even deserves to be here? Where's your family? Off getting drunk somewhere in a casino?"   
  
Liz continued to look away but the anger was rapidly growing inside her. She growled quietly. Ziska heard, and her smirk grew.   
  
"C'mon…old Tonto isn't around to give you advice now. Just get your bow and arrows and pipe…unless you're too drunk…no…you're too much of a coward. Run away and stay on your reservations…cry and whine when the government treats you badly. Oh…big bad warrior Lizard-Breath, hurt the white man, bad medicine for you…how's that red skin. You gonna look at me now? Huh? I'm talking to you, savage! LOOK AT…"   
  
Dinah cringed as she remembered that night. Liz had finally lost her temper. She leapt up and slammed Ziska into the wall. Her head had cracked the dry wall, but she was laughing all the same. Liz's eyes, which looked reptilian, had an even more animalistic look…a bloodthirsty hunger…Dinah looked at Liz now. Her fingers were loosely entwined in Pip's, and she watched Darius in the lake. Her eye's were softer than they were that night, but were still watchful, still had a hard edge. Dinah looked back towards the woods. Ziska and A.J. were gone. A cold feeling in the pit of Dinah's stomach grew. She didn't know exactly what, but something was troubling her.   



	2. Trouble Downtown

What's that? The X-Men don't belong to me? *gasp*  
  
A/N: SOOOO much thanks to Joe (FightingKirbys).yay! His character is here!  
  
Cold. Shadowy. Evil. The sound of machinery whirred in the distance. Voices echoed against the cave walls. A lone dark figure sat in an ornate throne, positioned on a platform above the main floor. The figure brooded, eyes piercing the souls of the men below.  
  
She goes by the name Dysis, though many of the men fear to utter her name. She is as beautiful as she is evil, and many underestimate her for her youth. Her power seems nearly infinite; control over the elements of earth, wind, fire, water, and emotion. Her great power has also given her great wealth and she has built her magnificent fortress in the depths of the Catskill Mountains. She has also been able to privately fund what she considers her hobby, genetic engineering. Many of the men below her were clones of her original dozen or so minions. Without moving, she finally addressed them.  
  
"You will capture him. You will bring him back alive. Use any means necessary but he must be returned to me alive or I will restructure your DNA while you scream for mercy."  
  
The leader of the group stepped forward and nodded. "It will be done, milady."  
  
With that, Dysis' men exited the cavern and headed out on their mission. Dysis sat in thought for a moment, then stood up as she summoned a gust of wind to carry her down one of the many corridors. She soon arrived in a large room that looked nothing like her main hall. It was brightly lit, with computers, machinery, and tables situated throughout. She walked over to a large tank, filled with a green, bubbling liquid. A male in his early twenties, floated lifelessly inside. A breathing device was strapped to his head, and several tubes attached to his body. Dysis smiled and touched the glass thoughtfully. She had met Simon Leavy in Manhattan not long ago. A gang was giving him trouble, and she remembers smiling at how mercilessly Simon had destroyed them. His powers seemed purely for defense; crystallized formations on his body that were nearly unbreakable. After watching him for some time, she hoped she could utilize this power, and turn him into something more. It pleased her when she found out that Simon was willing to take part in the experiment. Something about him seemed special to her, and she wanted him to reach his full potential. For now, she was satisfied with furthering her scientific studies.  
  
"My first successful genetic alteration on a mutant," she smiled. "What horrors will you wrought upon the world? Do not fail me.Fatalis."  
  
----------********----------  
  
"Are you sure you won't come with us, Lizzy?" Rebecca pleaded with her friend.  
  
"I'd really like to Becca, but I'm on duty in the Com Room in a little while. I don't want to accidentally be late," Liz sadly replied. She glanced up at Pip who looked equally disappointed that she wouldn't be joining them.  
  
"Well, ye can't skip out on yuir duties. We'll do it again real soon though." Pip rubbed her shoulder and smiled.  
  
"You're going to hold down the fort, right Liz?" Dinah spoke in a commanding tone, which made Liz smile. Jack briefly glanced at Dinah, then looked away muttering to himself.  
  
"Yes m'am," Liz saluted.  
  
"Don't worry, ah'll keep them outta trouble," Jack broke in, accenting on the reference to himself.  
  
They said their goodbyes and Dinah, Pip, Rebecca, and Jack headed towards the garage. Jack climbed into the driver's seat of a bright red, Shelby cobra and fired up the engine. Rebecca and Dinah both rolled their eyes, while Pip's eye's lit up at the sight of the beautiful piece of engineering. They climbed in and headed towards New York City.  
  
The drive took about an hour and Jack soon found a place to park. The group of four commenced wandering the streets of New York, enjoying the sights and sounds of the culture. Rebecca and Dinah visited the American Museum of Natural History for the first time, and marveled at the collections of prehistoric animals. Jack and Pip wandered through Central Park and conveniently ended up in FAO Schwartz. Rebecca and Dinah had to conveniently drag them away from the toys and candy.  
  
----------********----------  
  
An old man in a long, black trench coat stood leaning heavily on a cane in an alley facing eight young men. They too, wore black but also carried ropes, knives, and several other small weapons. The old man was tall and thin, yet still muscular. His eyes were very dark and looked almost black except for a ring of brown around the edge of the iris. One of the gang members stepped towards the old man and held up his knife to him.  
  
"We've got a friend who's taken a real interest in you. It's a shame that we can't kill you.she's made it clear that she wants you alive." The young man continued forward, but the old man held his ground.  
  
"It is most unfortunate for your lady friend, that I will not be joining you this evening." The old man smiled.  
  
"I don't think you understand. She wants you, and she's gonna get you."  
  
The old man shrugged and remained where he was.  
  
Meanwhile, down the street, Dinah, Rebecca, Jack, and Pip continued to wander the streets of New York. They were talking amongst themselves, when Dinah suddenly stopped. Rebecca turned around and gave her a questioning look, but Dinah held up a hand to quiet her.  
  
"I hear something."  
  
The others stopped and looked around their surroundings. A noise like something large hitting a wall caught Jack's attention. He teleported himself and the others up the street to an alley where the noise originated from.  
  
Several young men where harassing a much older man. The old man staggered away from the wall, but a thug shoved him back against it.  
  
"We have to help him." Dinah began to step forward, but Jack put a hand on her shoulder, keeping her back. She jerked away and looked back towards the alley.  
  
The old man got his bearings and stood his ground again. Another man charged at him. The old man flipped his cane so the bottom was in his hand and hooked the loop around the attacker's ankle. The thug hit the ground hard, cracking his head on the pavement.  
  
Pip raised his eyebrows. "Which one are we supposed to be 'elping?"  
  
The thugs were growing angrier by the minute and began to swarm the old man. Dinah gave a silent nod and the X-Tremes entered the fight. The old man used his cane to disarm his opponents and thrust the curve of the cane towards the thugs to knock them back. Bright flashes of red light caught his attention and he watched as sticks of energy were thrown into a thug and exploded on impact. The man was thrown clear across the alley from the explosion of dynamite. The old man turned his attention to the leader of the group, who now advanced on him. Dinah meanwhile, turned and noticed the man in the trench coat fighting - though he was clearly many years older, his movements were sharp and quick, almost as if he knew the punches his opponent was going to throw, even before the opponent did.  
  
By now, the thugs had noticed that there were more mutants to deal with. Only the leader remained to attack the old man. One went straight for Rebecca and grabbed her by the arm. He gripped tightly and spun her around to face him.  
  
"Hey there, beautiful."  
  
Rebecca responded with a purple energy ball to his face. The force knocked him off her, and she charged up another ball. The man stood up and brandished his knife. She ducked as he swung at her and threw the energy ball into his midsection. Rebecca glanced to her right and watched as Jack jumped and kicked a thug in the jaw. She saw him blink out of sight, then reappear on the other side of the thug and kick him in the spine. She looked to her left and saw Pip duck below two thugs that charged at him. The men he was fighting were large and powerful, but they were also very slow. He continued to duck underneath their punches and land a few of his own. Finally, one of them came after Pip with a spiked club. He swung it at his head, but Pip quickly held out his hand and slowed the movement of the weapon. He glanced at Rebecca as she tossed another purple ball, then smiled as he ducked and the club swung at its normal speed into the other thug's face. Pip straightened and grinned at the hoodlum with the club. He drew back quickly and punched him in the nose causing the thug to bend forward. With a chop to his exposed neck, the pathetic sap fell to the ground unconscious.  
  
Jack crouched down slightly and glared at the last attacker. The adversary stood where he was and stared straight at Jack. Jack began to grow uncomfortable under the gaze, and the thug noticed this. Jack grew impatient and angry as his movements continued to be studied. He leapt up and charged at the thug. The opponent ducked down and used Jack's momentum to toss him off balance and land flat on the ground behind him. Jack lay on the ground for a moment.  
  
"What the hell.?"  
  
He shook his head and jumped up. Jack backed up a bit, and then crossed over closer to his opponent. The rival stood just as he had before, observing Jack's movements. Again, Jack attacked first by swinging his fist at the thug's head. The thug easily ducked and returned the punch. Jack continued with his spin, and though the punch caught him in the side, he was able to bring his knee up hard into the thug' jaw. They both backed off for a moment, then Jack teleported behind the thug and grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back. The man struggled for a moment and grunted as Jack pushed his arm to the breaking point and forced him down. Jack grinned, but the thug surprised him. He slammed his head back into Jack's nose. There was a crack and Jack immediately let go and covered his bleeding nose.  
  
The old man had been kicking and beating at the leader back for a while now, but he was growing tired. The leader of the gang noticed this and smiled to himself. He pulled out his knife and held it up to the man.  
  
"I'm getting really tired of this, buddy. How about you just come with us quietly and avoid any more trouble, okay?"  
  
"I will not be taken anywhere." The old man spoke firmly. The gang leader glared at him and took another step forward.  
  
"You're making this a lot harder than it has to be." The leader took another step forward. He held the knife at the old man's stomach. "Come with us now."  
  
Jack wiped the blood off his face and glared at the gang member through slightly swollen eyes. The thug stood back up and rubbed at his arm slightly. Jack's anger got the best of him and he ran towards the thug, then teleported in mid-leap. He reappeared just in front of the gang member and he received the full force of Jack's attack.  
  
The old man glared at the leader. "I will n.AUGH!" The last gang member flew backwards into the old man. As he was knocked forward, the leader stiffened his arm and his grip on the knife, instinctively preparing for impact. The knife went deep into the old man's stomach and the leader felt warm blood cover his hand. Everyone who was standing immediately stopped and looked in the direction of the old man and the leader. The gang leader let go of the knife and backed up, trembling. The old man covered his stomach with his hand, his eyes wide.  
  
"Oh no.oh God no." Dinah rushed over to the old man. He still stood, but did not appear to notice her. She looked into his eyes, which were full of fear, but she was distracted by a sound from behind her. She turned around just in time to see Jack tackle the gang leader and slam him into the wall.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doin', attackin' some old guy?"  
  
"Jack! Get off him, he's not our concern at the moment." Dinah glared at her teammate.  
  
"Look, obviously you don't know how to handle this." Jack glared back.  
  
"Get off him now." Anger flashed in Dinah's eyes. She held her temper in check and returned her attention to the old man.  
  
"This man needs medical attention. Pip, can you call and see." she stopped mid-sentence as she saw the expressions on her friend's faces. She turned and watched in surprise as the old man had turned around and stared at the man that had been kicked into him. The air surrounding them almost looked like it was water as it flowed and rippled. The old man's eyes glowed slightly as the rippling slowed and dispersed. His eyes stopped glowing but now looked blank and dead. The lifeless body fell to the ground. Dinah rushed over and checked for a pulse, but found none. She sighed and looked at the ground, then watched with curiosity as the younger man on the ground stood up. His eyes glowed for a moment, then returned to normal. Dinah squinted at his face, and realized that this man now had the same eyes as the man she was crouched over.  
  
"You.you're a mutant aren't you?" Dinah said softly as he stood up and slowly walked over to him.  
  
He backed away from her and looked frantically around at his surroundings.  
  
"Where.who." The stress from being hit so hard still affected the body, and he fell to the ground, unconscious. Dinah went over to him, and called over her friends.  
  
"Jack, teleport us back to the car. Rebecca, call ahead to the mansion and see if they can pick us up on the way. Pip, help me with him."  
  
Pip lifted up the younger man's body, and Dinah held on to the older man's body. Jack concentrated and they all disappeared and reappeared next to the cobra. They carefully placed the bodies in and headed on their way back towards Salem Center.  
  
"C'mon.somebody pick up.Hello? Hank? It's Rebecca. Look, we got into some trouble and we need someone to come out here and pick us up. Yeah.yeah.it's a medical emergency. Ok.the cobra.ok.thanks Hank." Rebecca clicked off the cell phone.  
  
"Someone's gonna swing by, pick up these guys and probably Dinah, then the rest of us will drive back on our own."  
  
Dinah nodded. "Alright. Pip, drive as fast as you can, but cautiously. Jack.next time, you play by my rules."  
  
"What are you talking about?" "Jack looked at her through swollen eyes.  
  
"You got reckless again. You hold some responsibility for this man's death. I realize it was an accident, but there are such things as too many accidents."  
  
"Look, I don't why you think you can go off and tell me I don't know what I'm doing. Liz wasn't here to back you up, so I picked up the slack."  
  
"So now you're going to blame this on Liz?"  
  
Pip glanced back at Jack through the rear view mirror.  
  
"No! I'm just saying."  
  
"Look, we'll talk about it later. Right now we've got bigger problems to deal with."  
  
Several minutes passed in a tense silence. Soon, the sound of the Blackbird could be heard in the distance. 


	3. Twisted Minds

The X-Men belong to Marvel Comics

A/N: and in this chapter…SOOOOOO much thanks to Laura (potionsmaster), Bryan and Joe (FightingKirbys)!

Dysis stood with her back to what she referred to as her minions. Her hands were crossed behind her back and she drummed her fingers impatiently. The leader of the gang stepped forward and cleared his throat nervously. Dysis continued to ignore them. If they could see her face they would have seen cold emptiness. Her eyes flashed with anger and changed in color from a dark green to a white-speckled gray. A slight breeze could be felt and seen flowing through her hair. The leader cleared his throat again.

"Dysis, you must understand. Nobody anticipated that the mutant would be aided by other mutants." His voice wavered slightly, but he managed to maintain his composure. 

There was a long silence. Dysis finally spoke with her characteristic iciness. 

"I made you a Lieutenant because I was under the impression that would make a competent leader. It appears that you have failed me."

"These mutants….they worked as a team. I….I think they're part of that renegade group of mutants….those X-Men. We weren't prepared for that…"

"The X-Men are old and out-of-date." Dysis turned to face them. "Just as you have become."

The Lieutenant's eyes widened in fear. It suddenly occurred to him how seriously he had failed Dysis, and she was going to punish him. 

"Puh….Please Dysis….please, give me another chance….I….I won't fail you again, I swear it.…"

"We agree on one matter then. You will not fail me again, ever."

The Lieutenant and the other thugs turned as they heard heavy footsteps from down the hallway. A fairly short individual entered the main chamber with a blank expression on his face. He walked straight up to the Lieutenant and stared at him as a predator watches its prey. Dysis smirked to herself.

"I'd like you all to meet your new Lieutenant, Fatalis. He has been most kind as to volunteer his services."

"You can't be serious. I mean, he's what, twelve?"

The Lieutenant laughed as he looked down at the 5'4" mutant. Fatalis never took his eyes off him. His eyes, which were completely black except for a ring of ice blue, seemed to brighten as his left arm glowed with energy. His entire arm turned steel blue in color, and hardened, providing rock-like armor. His fingers fused together and elongated into three razor-sharp claws. The Lieutenant took a step back in shock and horror. With unbelievable speed, Fatalis drew his arm back and sliced his claws through the Lieutenant's neck. The claws cut clear through, and the head flew backwards and blood spattered everywhere. It landed with a sickening thud and rolled a few feet back, the shocked look frozen forever on the face. The body toppled over lifeless to the ground as blood pooled around it. 

Some of the thugs gasped, while others looked away. The rest stood in shock. Fatalis growled and licked the blood off his claws, a twisted smile on his face. His arm glowed slightly again, and reverted to it's human form. Fatalis turned and looked up at Dysis. She looked down at her cloak irritated, as she wiped it clean of some stray blood.  He smirked at her and shrugged. She almost smiled as she looked down on him, but it quickly faded and her icy composure returned. 

"I have heard reports of a group of mutants in training with the X-Men. I believe that they are intended as replacements. You, Fatalis, will go and investigate the school. Your past history with the X-Men should get you inside the complex with out any trouble. I will provide a distraction to lead the X-Men away. That is your cue to find whatever you can that's left of the mutant in question. It is my guess that he used his powers to avoid death."

"I understand."

"Excellent. The rest of you.…out of my sight.…and clean up this mess."

----------~~~~~~~~----------

"Logan, place the body in the spare room for now. Scott, bring the lad in here. Can someone get Charles in here?"

Hank McCoy calmly gave orders to his teammates in the midst of chaos in the medical lab. Scott brought the gang member into the examining room and placed him on the table. Dinah walked in the doorway and leaned against the door jam.

"Is he going to be alright?" Dinah asked quietly.

"That's what I'm going to find out right now my dear." Hank replied in a jovial voice. "Do you have some sort of….connection to our dear ruffian friend?"

"No….well.…I don't know. Something about him.…I think something happened between him and the old man."

"Hmm.…fascinating."

Hank continued his examination. The man looked to be in his very early twenties, dark skin and messy black hair. Life on the streets had given him a hard edge. Hank found no major injuries, only minor skin abrasions. Dinah moved into the room as Xavier wheeled in behind her. 

"Charles, so good of you to make it. Our friend here seems to be in some sort of coma. Perhaps your mental prowess and dexterity will be able to awaken him."

"As always, Hank, I will do my best. Dinah, can you give me any information on what happened?"

"Well, sir….it's hard to say. Jack kicked him into the old man, and that pushed the old man into the knife one of the other gang members was holding. I still believe that something happened between the two….but I don't know what."

"Hmm….Interesting." Xavier brought his hand up to his face in thought. "Where is the old man?"

Beast pointed to the spare room. Xavier wheeled over to it and took a look at the man. He sighed and shook his head. He came back into the examining room.

"Another senseless death."

He wheeled over to the head of the table and placed his hands on either side of the man's temples. Hank and Dinah remained quiet as the professor concentrated. 

Xavier stood in the plains of the gang member's mind. The light was dimmed, and it was difficult to see. What Xavier did see, shocked him. The plains of this person's mind looked as if it had been ravaged by two fierce storms that came together. Xavier moved in for a closer look. He stepped though the astral rubble and saw broken fragments of memories. A few were of the gang member, the rest, unrecognizable to Xavier. He looked towards the other side of the plain and saw fragments of memories, but of a different kind. These memories were from the old man. Xavier furrowed his brow. 

"The old man was a mutant….I wonder….Is it possible that the consciousness of that man, is now in this man? No wonder his mind is in ruins….I must repair some of the damage.…"

Xavier focused his powers deeper into the man's mind and pieced together a few memories from both plains. He pulled out of his mind and slowly opened his eyes.

"Dinah…I believe you are correct in your assumption. 'Touch' as this mutant is called, saved himself by taking over this body." Xavier leaned back in his chair. "He should wake up short-"

Touch's body jerked in seizure. Hank ran to get a sedative as the Professor made an attempt to calm his mind. Touch's eyes shot open and he looked around frantically. 

iBring him back alive.

Let's go, Casey.

Get out of there now!

Touch? What's happening?

Who are you? What are you?

We have you now.

There is no escape.

Trapped….caged…./i Voices poured into Touch's head. Some he thought he recognized, others he wasn't sure. He thought he was trapped, that somehow he was a prisoner. His mind was in total confusion and he didn't know how to handle it other than run. He bolted off the table and ran out the door, nearly knocking Dinah over.

"Touch…."


	4. Shattered

To own the X-Men, or not to own the X-Men…well, I don't…so there.   
  
A/N: Holy crap! Joe is so helpful! (If you like Touch, go check out FightingKirbys [Joe's] stories…There's a story completed that takes place some time after this particular story, and there's a story in progress that takes place several years before this one! Very interesting and extremely well written!)   
  
_Get him!   
  
He's getting away!   
  
Don't just stand there, fools!   
  
Run!_   
  
The voices in Touch's head continued to scream and echo. He ran out of the Med Lab in a panic, feeling the natural urge to escape captivity. He rounded a corner and slid to a stop as he faced a very confused Scott Summers.   
  
"What are you…?"   
  
**SLAM!**   
  
Scott didn't have the chance to finish his sentence. Touch slammed his fist into Scott's jaw, leveling him. Touch continued on his path, not entirely sure where he was headed, but at the very least away from where he was.   
  
----------~~~~~~~~--------   
  
"Look, all ah'm sayin' is that Dinah needed to get more action going and less chattin'," Jack was frustrated and angry. Pip sighed as he pulled into the Xavier Estate driveway.   
  
"Please, Jack…Dinah's mah best friend. Ah don't want you getting' mad at her, just as much as I don't want her yellin' at you."   
  
Jack sighed and leaned back in his seat. In all of the chaos and tension with Dinah, he had totally forgotten how Rebecca felt. She was caught up in the middle between the man she loved, and her best friend, who she loved like a sister. Jack looked away from her and didn't say anything. A few moments of awkward silence passed, and Pip finally pulled into the garage. They all got out of the car and headed towards the door. Jack moved closer to Rebecca, but she pulled away from him.   
  
"Ah think ah'm gonna go to my room. Ah'm pretty tired." She walked briskly down the hallway and out of sight. Jack started after her but Pip grabbed his shoulder.   
  
"Let 'er go, Jack."   
  
"Damn it, Pip! Where do you get off tellin' me what to do?" He jerked his arm away from Pip.   
  
"Look…ye know as well as I do that she's hurtin'. Ye and Dinah keep fightin' like that and there's goin' to be some serious repercussions." Pip stood back and glared at him.   
  
Jack pointed a finger at Pip's chest.   
  
"I am not a child and I don't know why you insist on treating me like one. I thought you were my friend."   
  
"I am yuir friend, Jack! Can't you bloody see? But they're also my friends, and I don't like anyone treating them like crap."   
  
"Fine. What ever." Jack threw his hands up in the air and started to walk away.   
  
A figure in black suddenly rounded the corner and almost ran into him. Pip stepped forward to get a better look at him.   
  
"Jack! That's the guy ye kicked into the other guy."   
  
"Thanks for stating the obvious, Pip."   
  
Touch backed up slowly.   
  
_Caged.   
  
You're trapped.   
  
Surrounded.   
  
Find a way out.   
  
Break free._   
  
The voices were growing louder in Touch's head. Jack started to move towards him, ready for another fight. Touch looked around him and spotted a container near a door, holding several umbrellas. He glanced at Jack, gave him a quick kick to the stomach and bolted towards the door. He tugged an umbrella up, flipped it in the air, and caught it. Jack caught his breath and ran at Touch again. Touch dropped down and hooked the handle of the umbrella around Jack's ankle, causing him to trip. Pip stood dumbfounded.   
  
"What in the bloody hell….?   
  
Touch ran off down the hallway again. Pip ran over to Jack.   
  
"He just pulled the same move the old guy did." Pip held out a hand to help him up.   
  
"So ah noticed…"   
  
The voices continued to pound in Touch's head. He was in a total state of confusion and was acting on instinct alone. His body was still weak from his previous encounters, and he was slowing down. He came to a stop when he entered a large entry hall. His eyes narrowed as he sensed something. He crept forward, alert for anything. His fear and the voices got the better of him and he broke into a run again. Touch stopped almost immediately as a very short and wild looking man jumped down in front of him-seemingly out of nowhere. Touch hesitated for a second, which was more than enough time for Logan to punch him across the jaw. Touch had never been hit that hard by a human before, and he dropped to the ground in a heap. Logan shrugged as he pulled a cigar out of his pocket and lit it. He barely looked up as Jack, Pip, Dinah, Hank and Xavier all came rushing into the entry hall. They stopped and looked from the body on the floor, to Logan, and back to the body. He shrugged again and took a long drag on his cigar.   
  
"You lose somethin'?"   
  
---------~~~~~~~~----------   
  
"Touch? Can you hear me?"   
  
Strange, unfamiliar voices. Touch felt like he was in a thick fog and everything he felt seemed muffled. Light slowly broke through and the fog cleared. Touch opened his eyes and found himself in an unfamiliar place.   
  
"Touch, my name is Charles Xavier and you are safe. You are in a medical facility receiving treatment. You are not a prisoner of any kind."   
  
Touch blinked a few times and let the words of the crippled, bald man in front of him register. He slowly sat up, expressionless, and looked around the room.   
  
"Where am I?"   
  
"You are in my school for gifted students, such as yourself. We are just outside of Salem Center in Westchester County in New York."   
  
"New York?"   
  
Touch closed his eyes and covered them with his hand.   
  
_Why can't I remember? What am I doing here…all my memories…jumbled…_   
  
"I understand your confusion."   
  
Touch looked at Xavier blankly.   
  
Xavier sighed. "I am willing to help you if you give me the chance. Given some time, I can help you sort through your memories."   
  
Touch continued to just look at Xavier, almost as if he were gathering information. He looked away finally, towards the room where the old man's body lay. Touch gingerly got off the examining table and walked into the room. Xavier followed him, curious. Touch stood and stared at the body.   
  
"This is who you were. Your powers allow you to transfer your consciousness into others. In this case, you transferred all of it into this young body, before you died." Xavier entwined his fingers below his chin in thought.   
  
"The human body is nothing but a shell." Touch continued to stare at the body. Still in a trance-like state, he reached down and pulled the black, leather trench coat off of the old man's body, and pulled it on himself.   
  
"I prefer my shell to have a little style."   
  
Touch flicked the collar up and strolled out of the room. Xavier looked at the body of the old man, now looking as if he was carelessly thrown there. Xavier looked back towards Touch. He reached out with his mind.   
  
_"Touch…I want to help you. I can piece together your past."   
  
"Xavier…my mind is in shambles. I remember my life being the same."   
  
"If you learn nothing else while a guest in my home, learn this…_   
  
Xavier concentrated and began to sort through the shattered memories. Those most recent were the easiest to fix. The alley, the thugs, the old man, the X-Tremes, a young woman, a cave, mountains, a bar, the city…memories from both personas were repaired. The process began to slow…Xavier tried to focus harder but it was becoming too difficult. He pulled out of Touch's mind, satisfied with the work already done.   
  
"Trying and failing is looked upon with greater respect, than not trying at all."   
  
Touch looked at Xavier with disdain. He turned away and shut his eyes. The voices were quieter now, but still echoed mercilessly within his skull.   
  
"I wish only to discover who I am and who I was. I will do so in my own time, and in my own way." Touch looked back at Xavier. He looked hurt for a moment, then covered it up with professional seriousness. Touch noticed the change and smirked. He gracefully bowed low towards the ground.   
  
"But, since you consider me a guest in your home, as a gentleman, I cannot refuse."   
  



	5. False Advertisement

Knock knock…who's there?…X-Men…X-Men who?…THE X-MEN AREN'T MINE!   
  
A/N: Thanks to all my various helpers who helped me write this chapter, which in turn, helped them calm down! ^___^   
  
Simon Leavy calmly walked down the sidewalk of Greymalkin Lane. He whistled a tune: Born to be Wild. He looked small for his age, an underestimated runt. He was muscular, but his baggy cargo pants and loose t-shirt with 'No Fear' scrawled across it covered his physique. His short, chestnut-colored hair was spiked and shined in the sun. He walked up to a large rod-iron gate and smiled. He pulled off his orange Oakley's and looked through the gate with growing interest. His eyes were his most defining feature. Thin ice blue rings for irises, the rest of the eye completely black. He pushed his sunglasses back on and paced in front of the gate like a predator paces his cage. He walked over to the speakerphone on the wall next to the gate. The speaker crackled for a moment, and then a bright voice came over the speaker.   
  
"Xavier Institute, how may I help you?"   
  
"Ah, yes. My name is Simon Leavy. I used to attend this school and I was interested in a visit."   
  
"Just a moment Mr. Leavy."   
  
Inside the estate, Elizabeth Lapier looked over the various surveillance monitors positioned towards Simon. She looked up some records and found Simon Leavy as a graduate of the school. He was apparently more interested in learning of his powers then going into the real world than spending his time training to be an X-Man. She leaned back in her chair and looked back at the surveillance monitors.   
  
_Hmm….interesting guy._ She thought to herself.   
  
She pressed the speaker button again.   
  
"Alrighty Mr. Leavy, you're all clear. Welcome back to the Xavier Institute."   
  
Simon smirked, and then twisted the smile back to something that looked almost sincere. The heavy gates opened and Simon strolled up the walkway to the ornate oak front doors. They opened and a smiling face greeted Simon. Straight, dark hair framed her well-structured face. Her green, reptilian eyes seemed to glow in the dim light.   
  
"Hello, I'm Elizabeth Lapier, but everyone just calls me Liz. Please, come in."   
  
"Thank you very much." He found it difficult to look away from her eyes. He half-smiled and pulled off his Oakley's. "I take it mutants with…distinguishable eyes are a common thing?"   
  
Liz looked into the deep, dark eyes. A feeling washed over her, almost like fear, but a mixture of something else as well. She blinked out of the momentary trance and smiled.   
  
"There're two other kids here with funky eyes actually. Rebecca's got purple irises and yellow pupils, and Darius…well…he doesn't really have any eyes. But uh, I'm sure you'll meet them soon enough."   
  
"Hmm…interesting. I'm sure I will."   
  
She led him into the main kitchen and poured herself and Simon a glass of soda. He seated himself on a barstool behind the counter, and she leaned forward with her elbows on the counter-top.   
  
"So, where are the rest of the guys? I'm assuming all the old X-Men are still here."   
  
"Yeah, they're still hanging around. Some of them are out right now, actually I think. But Xavier and Hank and Jean are around. Hmm…let's see…who else…Oh yeah, Remy and Rogue…no…they went down to New Orleans for a vacation…Kitty's here…Logan and Kurt are somewhere on the grounds. Ororo is in town…Scott might be in the garage…"   
  
She laughed to herself. "I just got off duty in the Com Room. You'd think I'd know where everyone is."   
  
Simon laughed. "Still sticking the kids on duty in the Com Room. Some things never change."   
  
"Awh, you know it's not so bad. Just make sure that Mr. Sinister or Magneto don't show up on the door step and you're all set."   
  
Simon nodded and laughed.   
  
"Well hey, I'm sure I'll be able to meet up with everyone soon enough." He leaned forward in the stool.   
  
"So. How long have you been here?"   
  
"Hmm…almost a year now. All of us new kids have been here about a year."   
  
"I must have just missed you guys then. I left a little over a year ago. Now, the eyes have got me interested…what do you do?"   
  
"I turn into a dragon." She spoke very matter-of-factly.   
  
"Really? That's very impressive."   
  
"Yeah, it's pretty cool. I get to be about ten feet complete with teeth, claws and fire." She smirked, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "What about you?"   
  
"It's not nearly as cool. Certainly aren't any flames. Besides, I thought you would've looked up my file before you let me in."   
  
Liz chuckled and looked away for a moment.   
  
"Crystallized formations grow on the skin to form a diamond-hard armor." She smiled. "That doesn't sound so bad"   
  
"Nope. Not so bad at all." He grinned.   
  
----------********----------   
  
"Statue of Liberty: check.   
Hundreds of innocents: check.   
Random minions probably not doing what I told them to: check.   
Maniacal laugh…"   
  
Dysis looked at her watch. She smiled as she raised her head towards Lady Liberty's torch. An evil laugh erupted from the blackness within her.   
  
"Check."   
  
Dysis leaned forward over the railing of the police boat she rode on. Three officers lay dead in a pile beneath the lower deck. The forth guided the boat around New York Harbor, staring blankly out the window. Dysis' eyes swirled and glowed yellow and pink as she sucked all of the happiness out of the officer. He was left with little will to do anything but listen to the soothing sound of the voice behind him.   
  
"Excellent job, my dear. Circle around once more."   
  
Dysis smiled and stood back up. Everything was on schedule and in position. She looked back down at the officer.   
  
So easy to manipulate. I miss the challenge of a sophisticated mind. If I can just regain control of him…yes…I will regain control of him.   
  
Her mind wandered from the present to the past. A dark figure in a long, black coat with dark eyes to match. The image had consumed her thoughts for the past few years. She blinked back to the present. She found herself in the middle of New York Harbor exactly where she suggested the officer to pilot to. She smiled as she stretched her arms out and shut her eyes. Intense heat surged from her body as she rose into the sky.   
  
----------********----------   
  
Ororo Munroe strolled down the street to the local parking garage. She paused for a moment as she felt a noticeable shift in the balance of the earth. She looked towards the sky and her expression of worry quickly changed into that of horror.   
  
"Merciful goddess…"   
  
An enormous firebird hovered above New York City, the figure of the Phoenix.   



	6. The Phoenix

Logan sat back in his faded, old recliner with one arm resting behind his head, and his other hand cupped around a beer. An old Clint Eastwood movie was on. He really didn't care which one; they all ran together in his mind anyway. Despite his lack in interest in the movie, he had even less interest in the news report that broke in the middle of a decent gun fight. He slumped in his chair and chugged back a beer. As he brought the beer back down, an image on the screen caught his attention and he spat beer across the room. The newscaster's voice broke in.   
  
"A giant fiery bird has been seen over New York Harbor. Experts believe this firebird to be the same that terrorized New York nearly twenty years ago, the Phoenix."   
  
Logan muttered, "Shit…" and bolted out of the room towards Xavier's office.   
  
----------********----------   
  
"No. Not the Phoenix. I would have felt something, Jean would have felt something." Xavier leaned forward in his chair, his hand on his brow, worry etched on his face.   
  
"Then perhaps this is a trap by one of our enemies, Charles. Mastermind, perhaps?" Ororo paced around Xavier's office. The initial shock had passed but the image of the Phoenix has haunted her for many years, as it has the other X-Men.   
  
Logan stood alone in the corner of the room. A low growl escaped him as the name was mentioned and memories flashed in his head.   
  
"We know it's not really the Phoenix, otherwise every telepath in the universe would know about it." Scott stood in the center of the room with his arms crossed. Jean stood near the window, a blank expression on her face. Xavier glanced at her, then back to Ororo and Scott, then finally Logan.   
  
"I'd like to send out Dinah and her team, along with a few X-Men." Charles leaned back in his chair.   
  
"Is that wise? We're not entirely sure who we're dealing with." Jean finally looked away from the window and addressed her friends.   
  
Xavier was about to reply when a knock at the large oak door cut him off. He tried to sense who it was, but found it more difficult than usual. He finally realized it was Touch.   
  
"Please, come in, Touch."   
  
Scott raised an eyebrow and turned towards the door as Touch calmly walked in the room.   
  
"How can I help you?"   
  
"More like how _I_ can help _you_." Touch looked sideways at Scott.   
  
Scott moved towards him. "Excuse me?"   
  
"The news is making a pretty big deal out of this. I can help you with this little dilemma."   
  
"We were planning on sending out the X-Tremes and possibly some available X-Men." Scott took up the tone of a leader as he was so used to.   
  
"No. Don't send out a bunch of kids."   
  
"Is there a legitimate reason why?"   
  
"Scott, please." Xavier quieted him. "What makes you think this, Touch?"   
  
" I know who this is. It is not the Phoenix, but she's just as dangerous."   
  
"Who?" Xavier leaned forward in his chair again, and suddenly all attention was on Touch. He never blinked.   
  
"Dysis."   
  
"I am not familiar with…"   
  
Touch cut Xavier off.   
  
"Don't worry, you will be. If she's making an attack like this, she knows it hits you all close to home and that's exactly what she wants. Dysis is very powerful and very intelligent mutant. She is deeply involved in genetics and will stop at nothing to further her studies and gain power. This is nothing compared to what she can do." He locked eyes with Xavier.   
  
"What she **will** do."   
  
Scott shook his head and looked away. Logan pulled out a cigar and calmly lit it, taking in a long drag. Jean walked away from the window and over to Touch.   
  
"I believe him and I believe the threat is great."   
  
Touch looked at Jean and gave a slight nod. Xavier sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.   
  
"Scott, ready the blackbird and assemble the X-Men."   
  
----------********----------   
  
Dysis soared above New York City laughing to herself as thousands ran in fear away from the huge firebird. Her men were split into several groups that were spread all over the city, setting fire to and bombing several buildings. She waved her arm with little effort and a ball of fire punched into the ground below.   
  
She turned slightly as she heard a rumbling sound behind her. She squinted slightly then laughed as her plan continued as she thought it would. The X-Jet streaked across the sky towards the city.   
  
"Oh how I _love_ the fresh air and exercise." She smirked as she sent another fireball towards the Statue of Liberty, setting the torch ablaze.   
  
The jet drew closer and Dysis turned to face it.   
  
"What were those famous words that echo in your nightmares, X-Men? I am life incarnate, I am fire made flesh…my pleasure to meet you."   
  
----------********----------   
  
Simon looked at his watch.   
  
_Hmm…she must be having a pretty good time right about now._   
  
He smirked as he looked back up at Liz; she had his back to him. The smirk faded into a simple smile. She turned back around and sighed as she rested her hand on her forehead.   
  
"Something wrong?" Simon leaned forward in his stool slightly.   
  
"That was Dinah over the communicator. I guess there's something big happening in the city. We were on call, but the Professor decided to send out the big guns instead." Liz sat heavily back in her stool.   
  
"Hm. Any idea what it was?" Simon looked interested.   
  
"Big firebird." Liz looked scared. "Look, I'm gonna take you to the study and let you settle in a little bit. I've got some work to do, and I'll make sure that Xavier gets the message that you're here."   
  
Simon nodded. "Sounds fine to me."   
  
Within a half hour, Liz had left Simon in the study and had gone down to the Danger Room to release some energy. She set up security protocols, to keep Simon out of the more important areas of the mansion. He still could roam throughout the upper levels, and down to the medical lab. She couldn't help but feel that something that made him different from the other students. Despite his past with the X-Men, she felt it best to keep him somewhat restricted when he was alone.   
  
Simon didn't let this minor setback hold him back. After getting an idea where the X-Men and X-Tremes were, he wandered down to the lower levels of the mansion. He was only granted access into the med lab, which happened to be all he needed. The strong smell of antiseptic and cleaner made him wrinkle his nose and snort. He wandered around for a few minutes, getting a feel for the place. He found a locked door and easily picked it open by elongating one of his fingers into a slender, pointed claw. He pushed the door open and walked in. Immediately he wrinkled his nose in disgust. The stink of death was strong in the room. Eyeing the corpse, Simon walked over to the bed and leaned forward over it.   
  
"Nice to finally meet you, Touch. Hard to believe that you're the old guy that gave big, bad Dysis so much trouble."   
  
A sound from behind him in the next room caught his attention. He backed up slowly without making a sound away from view of the door. His mistake had been leaving the door open. A tall young woman peered in the doorway and stuck her head in. She sensed another presence and quickly spotted Simon.   
  
"Explain who you are and what you're doing here in the next five seconds." Ziska hid any emotion and spoke like she was in charge. Simon smirked as he stared her down.   
  
"Taking my friend here home."   
  



	7. Bloody Whirlwind

The rights to the X-Men don't belong to me   
They are happily owned by Stan 'The Man' Lee   
They merely make an appearance in this little tale   
So take that into account before you start to wail   
And so! On with the next chapter   
We'll see who Dysis is after   
Maybe Touch will do something cool   
And maybe Dinah will through Jack in the pool   
  
*takes a bow* ^___^   
  
A/N: This is the chapter where you may want to hide the kids. Lots of violence and bad language.   
  
  
Simon smirked and walked backwards towards the bed. Ziska crossed her arms and glared at him.   
  
"You're not authorized to be down here."   
  
"Actually, I am."   
  
"I don't have time for this crap…"   
  
"And neither do I. Check your records, I'm a graduate just coming for a visit."   
  
"Well isn't that just great for you. Get out of my medical lab."   
  
"Your medical lab? That's cute, darlin'. Anyways, I'm running kinda late so I think I'm just gonna scoop this stiff up and head on out of here." He smiled and began to lift the body up. Without missing a beat Ziska hit Simon back against the wall with a telekinetic blast. She stood over him and continued her glare. Simon shook his head and to Ziska's surprise, began to laugh.   
  
"You're a little slow aren't ya?"   
  
His laugh grew into a horrific snarl as his body began to glow brightly. Ziska did not look away, partly to remain defiant, partly because she was afraid to. Simon's fingers fused together and elongated into three pointed claws. His entire body took on a steel-blue color as sharp, rock-like formations formed all over his body. Spikes that jutted out of his arms and skull accented this natural armor.   
  
He waved his hands in the air, brandishing the claws.   
  
"I sure hope you weren't planning something stupid." His smile grew.   
  
Ziska never blinked. She put on her greatest look of disdain, and calmly reached her mind out to A.J.   
  
_A.J.? Please come down to the Med Lab. We have a slight situation._   
  
Ziska's eyes came back into focus and she continued her glare at Fatalis.   
  
"I will give you one more warning. My friend won't be so kind."   
  
As if on cue, A.J. walked into the room. Within seconds she was growling and slowly changing into a large Siberian tiger. She stalked further into the room and snarled at Fatalis.   
  
"Oh this is good." Fatalis laughed as he covered his face with his hand.   
  
"Miss PMS and her jungle kitty. Lemme guess…you guys lead those little twerps? This is just fuckin' hysterical."   
  
He continued laughing and went towards the body again. A.J. snarled and leapt at Fatalis, tackling him and pinning him to the ground hard. She tried to dig her claws into his shoulders but they were useless against his armor. He just laughed as he pushed the tiger back with incredible strength. Fatalis was able to push her up enough where he could kick her off. Fatalis got up, looking completely uninterested. The tiger pounced again, but this time Fatalis swung his claws forward, slashing the tiger across the face. Blood flew back and spattered on the wall. A.J. fell to the ground, snarling in surprise and pain.   
  
Fatalis rolled his eyes and began to walk towards the hurt animal, but found himself on the ground again as he was hit by another psychic attack. Ziska then morphed her own body, into her Shi'ar physique. She now towered over Fatalis, and swiftly kicked him in the side. While she lost her telepathy in alien form, she was taller, faster, and stronger physically. He grunted and rolled across the floor a few feet before getting back up.   
  
A.J. meanwhile, had recovered from the previous attack, though her fur was bloodied, and was slowly walking towards Fatalis again. He smiled calmly as he heard a roaring coming from above. Ziska and A.J. both turned just in time to see a tornado come crashing down into the med lab from the floors above. A bed, carts, supplies; anything in the lab was sucked into the whirlwind, and then thrown towards Ziska and A.J. with incredible force. They attempted to find cover, but everything happened too quickly. A cabinet door slammed into Ziska's head and she fell back against the wall, and onto the floor. An entire bed collided with A.J. and pinned her against the wall. The whirlwind died down, and the shape of a woman formed.   
  
"Fatalis, I hope it wouldn't be too much trouble to ask you to get off the floor and actually do something?"   
  
"I was working on it in case you hadn't noticed."   
  
"Oh yeah." Dysis rolled her eyes. "_Real_ good job. Just kill them already."   
  
----------********----------   
  
"Dinah! There you are. Do you have any idea what the hell is going on?"   
  
Liz ran down the hallway towards Dinah and her other friends.   
  
"I wish…All the X-Men, including Xavier, ran off to NYC a while ago, and we haven't heard anything from them except for one radio message that was almost completely static." Dinah didn't bother to hide her worry.   
  
"Uhm…that's definitely not good." Liz sighed and looked down at the ground. "No contact with the telepaths?"   
  
"Not a peep outta them, and we cannae find Ziska." Pip leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.   
  
"Yeah, just freakin' great, ain't it?" Jack snapped.   
  
Rebecca glanced at him, and then put a hand on his shoulder. "Shouldn't we try and do somethin'? Why can't we go after 'em?"   
  
"Not a smart move according to tall, dark, and creepy over there." Jack motioned towards Touch. He was standing very still, with his arms crossed behind his back, staring out the window.   
  
"Look, Jack, he obviously knows who the X-Men are dealing with and if _they_ are having problems, how much good can we be?"   
  
"There ya go hesitatin' again, Dinah! God damn it can't you take some initiative?!" Jack began yelling.   
  
"Unlike you, I'm more concerned with the safety of my team mates, then running off on some testosterone-crazed frenzy!" Dinah was starting to loose her cool and her voice rose.   
  
"Oh that's real rich. Listen up, you wanna lead this team, you gotta know when to take action."   
  
"Oh please, Jack. You couldn't lead your way down this hallway."   
  
"Good one, Dinah. I'll remember that one next time I talk to a narrow-minded bitch."   
  
"Jack!" Rebecca shoved him back against the wall and glared. "Don't you _dare_ talk to my friend that way."   
  
"Oh, so you're against me now too? You know what? Y'all can just go to hell, I don't care anymore!"   
  
"Shit, Jack, just lighten up, will ya?" Liz stood between Jack and Dinah.   
  
"Don't start with me, Liz."   
  
"Or what?" The black slits in Liz's eyes narrowed.   
  
"I am freakin' sick of this!" Jack half sighed, half yelled.   
  
"WILL ALL OF YOU JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP?!"   
  
Touch's voice boomed in the hallway. Everyone immediately stopped and stared at Touch, wide-eyed. He looked back out the window and sighed.   
  
He narrowed his eyes as he continued to stare out the window as if waiting for something. Jack pushed Rebecca back and began to walk away. Liz grabbed his arm and quieted him. She walked towards the window and stood next to Touch. She turned her head slightly then looked up at him.   
  
"That roaring sound doesn't sound like the blackbird."   
  
"You hear a roaring sound?"   
  
She nodded.   
  
"Is it getting louder?"   
  
She nodded again.   
  
"Fucking hell…"   
  
Liz looked at him with a questioning look.   
  
"We don't have much time. She's coming."   
  
Jack, beyond frustrated at this point, stood in front of Touch.   
  
"Who's coming?"   
  
"The woman who fought the X-Men."   
  
"How do you know?"   
  
"I just know alright? Now…"   
  
"What the hell is going on?"   
  
"We're about to be in deep shit if you don't listen to…"   
  
"What? To you? That's a good one. How do we know you're not in on it?"   
  
"Just trust me, alright now get down…"   
  
"What are you talking about?"   
  
"Jack!" Liz yelled. "Get the hell down on the ground!"   
  
Everyone dropped, though Jack had to be tackled by Liz and Touch by Dinah, just as a whirlwind plowed through the front entrance of the mansion. Furniture swirled in all directions and slammed into walls. Splintered wood rained down on them. Touch hid his face as best he could under the collar of his coat. The whirlwind died down as it cut downwards into the lower levels of the school.   
  
----------********----------   
  
The tiger growled from behind the sideways bed. Dysis held her hand in front of her, controlling a forceful wind that continued to push the bed against A.J. Fatalis stood up, a little shaky, but otherwise alright.   
  
"Nice of you to show up."   
  
"I'm touched that you missed me." She smirked.   
  
He snorted and turned towards Ziska. She lay half-conscious on the ground, bleeding heavily from a deep head wound. He roughly picked her up by her hair and snarled at her.   
  
"I don't really appreciate being blasted by some mental case. Besides, I was very polite till you attacked. Someone should teach you some manners."   
  
He glanced behind him towards Dysis, who was busy intimidating the tiger. He turned back to Ziska who was looking up at him with defiant eyes.   
  
"Hmm…feisty little critter, aren't ya?"   
  
He slid one of his long fingers against her head gently, outlining her hairline. When he reached the deep gash, he hesitated for only a moment before raking his claw through the bloody mess. Ziska screamed out in pain and began to tremble. Fatalis laughed, licked his lips and snarled at her again. Ziska gritted her teeth as she tried to control the pain. With what little strength she had she kicked at his midsection and hit him with her fists. The attacks were useless. He held her up higher and snapped his jaw in her face. He drew back and in one swift motion, thrust his claws into her midsection. The only sound she made was a choked, gurgling noise. A line of blood oozed out between her tightly pursed lips. Her body began to tremble again. Fatalis smiled and forced his fingers apart, still inside her. She could feel the claws grabbing at her insides, but she refused to scream again. Life slipped away from her as he ripped his hand out of her abdomen, pulling out whatever he had grabbed onto. Her entrails spilled out onto the floor and blood pooled on the floor below her. He grinned, bloody fangs shinning in the light. He snapped his jaws once more and threw her lifeless body onto the ground. He squatted down in the bloody mess and grabbed a handful of entrails and bit into them. Blood was smeared all over his hands and face, and the meat was still warm. He loved it. His vision was red now and all of his actions were like that of an animal. He ate all that was spilled on the ground, and hungered for more. He began to gorge himself on the corpse.   
  
A.J. had watched all of this, horrified. Even Dysis raised an eyebrow in Fatalis' direction. He was crouched on the ground, covered in blood, and burying his face in the exposed ribs and organs of Ziska. Animal fury burned through A.J. and she broke herself free and leapt at Fatalis with claws and teeth bearing. Dysis sighed, and calmly turned towards them. Her eyes changed from swirling gray, to fiery orangey-yellow. She thrust both arms forward and a massive fireball erupted from her, slamming into the tiger, but also hitting Fatalis and Ziska.   
  
Finally getting his bearings, Touch had jumped down the hole that Dysis had made through the floors. He ran full tilt into the med lab, just as the ball erupted. The heat blasted him back and he was momentarily disoriented. That was all the time Dysis needed. She spotted him out of the corner of her eye, and as soon as her eyes swirled into an ice blue, frost flew from her hands and stuck to Touch, disorienting him further. Dysis picked him up in a gust of wind, and swirled into a whirlwind once again. She flew up the way she came and into the sky.   
  
Weakened from burns, Fatalis snarled as he watched Dysis pick up the missing minion and make her escape. Though it caused incredible pain, Fatalis morphed back to his human form. At that moment, Liz jumped down from the ceiling, and signaled for the rest. She looked around the room, wide-eyed and in a complete state of shock. The room was nearly destroyed, A.J. still in her tiger form lay burning and smoldering, Simon was also burned and lay in a puddle of blood. Liz cautiously walked forward and gasped when she realized whose blood it was. Dinah came up behind her.   
  
"Dinah…"   
  
"Liz…what do we do?"   
  



	8. Calm Before a Storm

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The X-Men used in the following really awesome text do not belong to me.

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A/N: And once again, I have slacked off in my writing…well, that's what freshman year of college will do to ya. But! Here it is, in all its lack-luster glory…thanks to Laura, Bryan, and Joey! (As usual )

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The lab was almost silent, save for heavy breathing coming from A.J.'s direction. Dinah continued to stare in shock at the charred and bloody mess on the floor. Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention and she snapped back to reality. Liz was crouched next to a young man. He had severe burns and was covered in blood. Dinah looked passed them and saw A.J., still in her animal form, battered and broken.

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"Liz," Dinah spoke in a shaky voice. "Who's that?"

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"Simon Leavy. He's an alumnae from this school." Liz didn't even look up as she checked Simon over for broken bones.

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Dinah turned as she heard Rebecca's voice from the back of the room. She walked in and stood stunned at the site of the wreckage. All she could do was look from the floor to Dinah.

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"D-Dinah…what…" Rebecca could barely speak. Dinah cut her off.

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"Rebecca, listen carefully. I want you to clean up an area as best you can. Get together medical supplies and plenty of blankets. Get Jack to help you."

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Rebecca nodded and looked away, still visibly shaken. Dinah watched her a moment longer, till she met up with Jack, then turned back to help Liz. By this time, Liz had gotten Simon onto his back and some of the blood cleared away from his face. She had moved on to A.J., and was crouched down, listening near her chest cavity.

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"What's the situation, Liz?"

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"Not good. Heartbeat is weak; she's struggling to breathe. She's got some really serious burns. Simon's got them bad too."

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"Alright. Rebecca and Jack are cleaning up what they can and getting stuff together. Pip is…"

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"Right 'ere. What do ye need?" Pip cut her off and put on his best expressionless face. He tried his best to ignore the smell of burnt flesh and blood."

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"First, help Rebecca and Jack clean up an area. We need three beds…or as close to beds as we can get. Once that's underway find Darius and keep him out of here."

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Pip nodded and headed towards the other end of the Med Lab. Dinah looked down at Liz and noticed that she was staring at Simon's body, seemingly lost in thought.

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"Liz? Liz, are you alright?"

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Liz remained motionless for a moment, and then blinked a few times before looking up at Dinah.

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"What? Yeah, I'm fine."

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"I need you, Liz. Don't leave me hangin'."

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"I won't. I'm good." She nodded to herself then to Dinah, and then looked back at A.J. "Alright…we don't have any way to coax her back into human form, and the strain would probably kill her anyways. However, we gotta get her cleaned up and bandaged up before she gets any worse."

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"What about Simon?"

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"He's not in as bad a shape. A.J.'s first priority. I can lift her if I morph, and bring her into the lab."

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"Alright, sounds good. Now," She looked around. "Where the hell is Touch? He came down before you didn't he?"

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"Yeah. He could hardly wait to jump down here." Liz gazed around the room quickly, confused, and then looked back to A.J. She closed her eyes and drew her mind down to a spot deep inside her. The spot was festering, and if she prodded enough, the spot almost became alive in anger. If she continued to prod, there was a sensation of enormous pain, and then it would stop, leaving only the spot. She opened her eyes again and growled. She stretched her claws and flexed her newly formed muscles as she reached down and gently lifted up A.J.'s body. Even in her dragon form, she strained slightly at the weight.

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Dinah looked her over once to see if she was all right, then led Liz towards the main room. Touch was nowhere in site, and Pip was just heading out to check on Darius. Jack seemed quieter than usual, though he put all his effort into clearing out the room. Rebecca had managed to put together a couple makeshift beds and was gathering linens. Liz gently laid A.J.'s body on one of the mattresses on the floor. Dinah and Rebecca immediately began to clean her up as best they could, and dressing her wounds.

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Liz returned to the back room and picked up Simon's body. He stirred slightly, but seemed too weak to regain total consciousness. She laid him on the bed near A.J.'s and left him in Rebecca and Dinah's care. She stalked to the other side of the room and tried to get a trace on Touch. His scent ended about halfway across the room, like he had just vanished. Another scent lingered in the air; a female scent, though it was hard to get a solid lock on. Something else was troubling Liz. Very little of the blood on Simon was his own. He smelled heavily of Ziska's blood and she had a hard time imagining why. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind. Jack met her, carrying a large, white sheet.

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"She's gone, ain't she?"

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"There's not a whole lot left of her." Liz spoke in a low, growl.

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Jack nodded and walked over to Ziska's body. He shook out the sheet and laid it over her body. The white sheet almost immediately became soaked crimson.

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"It's not much, but she deserves that at least."

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Liz nodded as Jack wandered back towards the main lab area. Liz closed her eyes again. She groaned slightly as she morphed back to human form. Feeling weak, she slid down a nearby wall and sat on the cold tile floor. She tasted blood in her mouth as she stared at the stained sheet on the floor.

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Liz awoke to a cold, wet sensation on her face. She slowly opened her eyes and was surprised to see Logan staring back at her, holding an empty glass.

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"Rise 'n shine, kiddo. We need you."

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Liz thought he spoke a little more gruffly than usual. It took her another moment for the reality of what had just occurred to sink in. She squinted her eyes and rubbed her forehead.

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"You did a couple of morphs in a short amount of time and without any break in between. You pretty much burned yerself out. Now you gotta suck it up and do it again."

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Liz groaned as she shifted onto her knees and slowly started to rise. Logan offered a hand and she held on a little more tightly than she would have liked to admit.

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"What do you need me for?" She shook away the last of the cobwebs and blinked her vision into focus.

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"Blackbird went down. We need fliers to get everyone back here, and from the looks of it, supplies."

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"How'd you get here?"

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"Ororo was strong enough to bring me and Hank. He's gonna be busy takin' care o' the injured. Ororo was hurt bad too, but didn't want anyone t'know about it." Logan glanced over at the woman, lying down on a burnt mattress.

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"Alright. You comin' or stayin'?"

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"Well how else are ya gonna know where they are?"

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"Alright, alright…give me a sec…" Liz concentrated like she did before but struggled even more to reach that spot. Several moments passed. Logan grew even more anxious.

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"C'mon kid, I know it's tough but you gotta pull through."

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Liz growled in frustration and was quickly loosing confidence. Finally she opened her eyes and stared blankly at Logan.

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"Hit me."

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"What?"

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"You heard me."

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"How the hell is that gonna help?"

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"Just do it."

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"Kiddo, look…"

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"Just hit me, Logan. Pop the claws if you want, just give me your best shot."

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"Liz…"

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"Hit me, Logan!"

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He sighed, then pulled back and decked her square in the jaw. There was a resounding pop as her jaw snapped out of alignment. She steadied herself against the wall, and for a moment Logan figured it was for nothing. The familiar glow began to surround her however, and within moments she was crouched before him growling and wiggling her jaw side to side.

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"You alright, kiddo?"

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"Just peachy. Now hold on."

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She grabbed him and flew up through the hole in the ceiling. Once outside, they headed towards the smoky horizon in the direction of New York City.

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